choster - 9:22 pm on Sep 9, 2003 (gmt 0)

Be sure you have the card configured for continuous access instead of power-saving. Otherwise, it takes time to reestablish the link every time you try to access the network.

You might be able to hear people whispering across the room (signal strength), but you may not be able to understand what they are saying to each other (signal quality). When my WiFi card shows a low quality connection, it takes longer to connect (especially dns) and downloads get interrupted frequently. And although I can often start a download when quality is "good" and continue with few problems if it degrades to "fair," I find it very difficult to connect starting out as "fair." And unfortunately, it seems to be affected not only by someone using a cordless telephone, but things like metal shelves or even the relative humidity.